The premise of a locked room mystery is that the environment is confined, the facts delimited. The pleasure is in the solving by the reader, given the permutations. On that basis alone, the self-described science fiction locked room mystery Far From the Light of Heaven breaks its compact with the reader.
It’s a compelling premise, a locked room on a spaceship, something like Alien meets a countless number of “we wake up as the only ones” science fiction books/movies/comics. But then there is the cyber-wolf, the time-shifting sensual alien jokster, the deus-ex-machina AI that works only when the plot demands it, and the book becomes increasingly unwieldy.
Instead of resolving and eliminating–tightening the screw–as the book progresses, the book expands. One might imagine that the book would argue it is only inspired by locked room but somehow exploring something bigger. But even then, it’s unclear what the book is exploring. Instead, it feels like a set of vignettes, some more interesting than others, posing as a book.
It feels a bit like the author designed the book from the idea of good writing, as opposed to proceeding organically from the characters or even a clever plot twist. The cyber-wolf, for example, seems as if it is meant to be the ghost in the machine, or nature in space, but doesn’t play that role, as it is introduced then quickly discarded. The temporal shift is not explored thoroughly or explained. The language of the book shifts too, going from a kind of high art writing to casual F-bombs in the dialogue.
The book’s premise would’ve been a fun read. Perhaps a stronger editorial hand would’ve done it justice. As is, it becomes more and more frustrating as one progresses. It’s not fun to read a design, any more than it’s fun to eat a design, or listen to a design. Designs function, rather than entertain or leave ideas.
384p
If On a Winter's Night, a Traveler... 